Return of the Forgotten Padawans
by Maximus Potter
Summary: ROTBTFD AU. Set after Always Two There Are. With new threats facing the Ghost crew and the rebel fleet, new allies are now essential more than ever. Luckily Ahsoka knows six more people that could be helpful to their cause. However, are these potential allies willing to help in a higher cause, especially since there are more threats to come on the horizon?
1. Allies?

**I have to say that this is the first Star Wars fanfic I've ever done especially since this is a crossover. Well I have to say that Star Wars Rebels was the reason I got back into this universe in the first place. Now this story will be updated alongside my other story Rise of the Padawans so go check out that story as well. To be honest, I had to rethink this entire story since I didn't like the original plot line.**

 **But enough with my ramblings, on with the story.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters except for my OCs.**

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 **Chapter 1**

In the expanse of space, away from the Imperial trade routes were three rebel blockade-runners. Docked with the lead command ship, Liberator, was a modified VCX-100 light freighter called the Ghost. On the communication deck of the Liberator were the members of the Ghost crew. Gathered around a large circular table was a tall brown-haired human man, a female green Twi-lek, a large bulky purple Lasat, a colorfully armored female teenage, a blue-haired teenage human, an old clone trooper, a middle-age oriental man, and a hologram of a middle age Togruta woman.

"The news you bring us is troubling," the oriental man said. "The appearance of these new Inquisitors pose not only a threat to you my friends, but to our entire fleet."

"Commander Sato," the Twi'lek woman began, "I like to make a suggestion."

"By all means Captain Syndulla," Sato replied.

"For the time being, we should use Garel as our base of operations," Syndulla told the assembled group.

"That's not a bad idea," the brown-haired man replied. "As long as this is only a temporary solution." He raised an inquisitive eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Of course Kanan," Syndulla retorted, "the fact remains however, that we need more allies." She turned her attention to the Togruta woman. "Ahsoka, are there anymore people you know whom would be sympathetic to our cause?"

Ahsoka frowned as she took a moment to think. She raised her hand slightly as a few candidates came to mind. "Actually there are a few who could be powerful allies. The problem will be convincing a few of them while having to find the other two."

"What could they give us that would be beneficial to us," the Lasat grumbled.

"Glad you asked Zeb," Ahsoka responded, "Two of them are in charge of a large cell complied of men and women with a variety of talents. Another two watch over some of the brightest minds in the galaxy. One has the sharpest eye in the galaxy. And the last is one of the most talented healers I've ever known."

"From your description, they sound like valuable allies," Sato commented.

The Mandalorian frowned as she crossed her arms. "But who are they exactly? If I recall we've only had a few close calls with people we can trust in the past."

Ahsoka smirked as she placed her hands on her hips. "Ever heard of the 'Snow Spirit,' 'Dragon Master,' 'Radiant Healer,' 'Fiery Hawkbird,' 'Dancing Starbird,' and 'Fierce Vornskr.'"

The adults in the assembled group looked at Ahsoka in shock, while the two youngest looked at each other with raised eyebrows. It was obvious to them that whoever these people were, they were well known to their older friends. Also, based on the looks from Kanan and Rex, these people must have been someone they once knew.

"The Commanders are still alive," Rex said disbelievingly.

"Care to tell us who these people are exactly," Ezra snarked as he crossed his arms.

Kanan breathed through his nose as he ran a hand over his face. "These people were six of the Jedi Order's most talented and respected members. Each have made their mark during the Clone Wars, especially since they were still Padawans at the time." He turned his attention to Sato and gave him a pointed look. "Having them on our side is a good idea."

"Maybe so," Sato consented. "However, where would we find them?"

"The 'Snow Spirit' and 'Dragon Master' are the ones in charge of the large rebel cell whom operate from Belsavis," Ahsoka stated. "I believe we should seek their aid first."

"Then it is decided," Sato said with finality. "Captain Syndulla, you will take your crew to the Belsavis system and recruit this cell."

"Belay that, Hera," Ahsoka ordered shocking the entire crew until they saw the small smile on her face. "Until I arrive in a few hours. You will need my assistance in order to convince this group to join our cause. Especially, since one of the leaders is really hard-headed."

Sato nodded his head in consent and the meeting was adjourned. Every member proceeded out from the communication center to return to the Ghost. However, once they entered the corridors, Ezra stepped in front of his mentor. Kanan just raised an inquisitive eyebrow waited for the question that was buzzing in his Padawan's head.

"So, these people, do you know any of them in particular?"

Kanan allowed a small smile to appear on his face. "The 'Dragon Master' was a close friend of mine. We were in the same clan and grew up together. But he was a couple years older than me, so he started his Jedi training before I did." He looked down slightly with a saddened look. "He was at the Temple on Coruscant when Order 66 was initiated. I thought he died that day."

Ezra looked down sheepishly for a moment before looking up through his bangs. "What's his name?"

The blunette looked at Kanan in shock as the older man started snickering. "Oh, I'll let my friend introduce himself."

"Come on," Ezra exclaimed exasperatedly as the two started walking again. "Don't I get a hint?"

"Nope." Kanan laughed as the teen let out a groan.

* * *

Elsewhere in the galaxy, standing on the bridge of an Imperial Star Destroyer, was a tall Umbarran man. True to his species, he had pale skin that was hidden underneath a traditional black shadow cloak with the symbol of the Empire on the back. One of the oddities of the man was that he had his slicked backed, spiky hair dyed black.

At the moment the Umbarran, had his eyes closed and was completely still. The crew of the ship were used to this behavior and continued on with their work. Until one of the officers walked up to the man.

"Pardon my interruption my lord, but you have an incoming transmission from... Him." The Umbarran man opened his eyes to reveal golden, red-rimmed orbs and fixed the officer with a small glare. The young officer only felt a small bout of fear before squashing the emotion down immediately. The Umbarran, sensing that lapse of fear, smirked briefly before striding past the officer.

The doors to the communication closed behind the man and he glared at the two officers in the room. "Leave," he ordered shortly and the two officers immediately left. Once they were gone, the man activated the holostation to reveal a tall imposing figure.

"Lord Vader," the Umbarran greeted without fear. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Spare me your silver tongue, Black," Darth Vader responded harshly. "The Emperor wishes for me to divulge to you your mission."

"Oh." The Umbarran, Black, raised a disbelieving eyebrow and placed his hands behind his back. "And what would the specifics of this mission be?" Vader did not answer but instead brought up a hologram of a teenage human boy with shoulder length dark hair framing his face and dressed in a baggy pilot suit. "The Emperor is worried over a boy?"

"You know as well as I do that force-sensitive children are not to be taken lightly," Vader reprimanded. "This child has been taken under the wing of one of the few Jedi still alive, whom are both part of a fledgling rebellion."

"Then this operation falls under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Security Bureau and your Inquisitorious," Black countered, "whom, need I remind you, are currently warring amongst themselves for the position of Grand Inquisitor."

"Do Not," Vader boomed, "insinuate that I am blind to events at fold. That boy is the reason for the increase of rebel activity across the galaxy. The child has become a symbol of hope to these radicals. The Emperor wishes for the boy to be captured and turned over to him. If the either the Security Bureau or the Inquisitorious were to capture him, you are to retrieve the boy and transport him to Coruscant where he shall either join the Dark Side or die."

Black thought over his options and knew that if this mission truly did come from the Emperor then he cannot refuse. However, if Vader wished to use him to do all the work, who was he to deny bringing despair to the Rebellion. "And those who dare to interfere?"

"Do what you wish," Vader said nonchalantly. "However, the boy must remain alive until the Emperor says otherwise."

As Black smiled, he showed off a row of pointed teeth. "And so he shall be." With his word, Vader ended the transmission.

A thoughtful expression soon appeared as a datapad lit up with the transmitted information. After taking the datapad in hand, he strolled out from the communication deck to bridge. After skimming over the information for a moment, he turned his gaze to the large windows that showed his ship's position nearing the Mid Rim trading station.

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	2. Belsavis

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters except for my OCs**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

The Ghost was traveling through the blue expanse of Hyperspace as it made its journey to Belsavis. Inside the ship, the Ghost crew was gathered in the Common Area with Ahsoka. The Togruta woman boarded the ship as soon as she arrived back from her mission. At the moment she was debriefing the crew of the Rebels on Belsavis.

"The members of this cell call themselves Dragon Battalion and is one of the largest cells known to the fleet. My contact in the cell is named Astrid Hofferson-Haddock, she'll meet us when we land."

"Are we sure we can trust her," Sabine asked suspiciously. Hera shot the teen a look but was silenced by Ahsoka.

"It's alright Hera," Ahsoka assured her friend. She turned her attention onto Sabine with a small smile. "I think you and Astrid would get along well. She doesn't trust easily either and believes actions speak louder than words." Sabine turned her head away with a small blush.

"Why are they called Dragon Battalion," Ezra asked from his spot against the wall.

Ahsoka let out a small snort. "They named themselves after one of indigenous creatures that can only be rarely found on Belsavis." She pressed a few buttons on the Dejarik board and the image of a large lizard that had a beaked, armor-platted face, feather-ridged back and crest, a long powerful looking tail, and five toed feet.

"Varactyls," Hera said with astonishment, "also known as Dragonmounts." She added for Ezra's benefit.

"What's so special about these things," Zeb huffed. "You can find Varactyls on Utapua as well."

Ahsoka allowed a smirk to appear on her face. "Take a closer look at its back." Ezra came closer to the board and looked hard at it. There, camouflaged across its back were four folded wings. The members with more knowledge about these creatures stared in astonishment before looking to Ahsoka for an explanation. All except for Kanan, whom Ezra noticed wasn't surprised about this information.

"That's impossible," Sabine breathed. "Varactyls have always been known to be wingless. How is this possible?"

"You're going to have to ask the 'Dragon Master' when we arrive," Ahsoka answered cryptically. "As for the matter of the Empire, there is a low-level of Imperial presence but they mainly stay in the vicinity of larger cities. Which is good news for us since we'll be picking up my contact in Del Sol. From there she'll direct us to the base."

"Not that I'm complaining," Zeb started as he crossed his arms over his chest. "How come there isn't a larger imperial presence on the planet?"

"I heard rumors while I was at the academy," Sabine said suddenly. "The Belsavians were a people of fierce warriors, who believe in a show of strength. When the King was murdered, his advisor allowed the Empire to set up an Imperial presence as long as it remains low and he receives a monthly 'reasonable' pay."

"Which is one of the reasons why the rebels planet side choose to fight," Ahsoka finished. "Now we need to convince their leaders to help us."

"Alright," Kanan said with finality. "Zeb, pull out the winter gear, we're gonna need them." The Lasat grumbled under his breath but got up from his chair and walked out of the room. Just then the alarm went off signaling that they were about to come out of Hyperspace.

Hera made her way to the cockpit with the rest of the crew and Ahsoka following. She took her seat in the pilot chair with Kanan taking his place in the co-pilot chair, Ezra and Sabine sitting in the last two chairs; leaving Ahsoka to lean against the wall. As Hera took control of the Ghost, the blue lanes of Hyperspace disappeared to reveal the ice-covered world of Belsavis.

Ezra really couldn't call the planet an ice ball since he could see the occasional large crater filled with vegetation. He was happy to notice that there weren't any Star Destroyers forming a blockade around the planet. As the ship drew closer to the planet, the blue-haired teen noticed that they were flying past the various craters. They continued traveling for a few minutes when they came upon the small spaceport of Del Rio. They could see ships of various sizes and models parked along the port as well as various figures walking around. Hera settled the Ghost on an empty berth, which bounced gently as it touched the icy ground.

The crew and Ahsoka gathered in the cargo bay as Zeb began to hand out fur-rimmed coats to everyone. Sabine mumbling under her breath at how plain the coats were. Ahsoka led the crew out of the ship into the cold air of Belsavis. Ezra and Sabine immediately shivered as the cold wind hit their faces. Chopper let out series of warbled complaints before rolling back into the cockpit to wait.

"Remember, we are not here to cause trouble," Kanan reminded the crew as the walked into the crowd. "Let's not cause a ruckus and let's not compromise our informant. We don't need the Empire getting in our way."

"Don't worry, everyone here is either a tradesman, merchant, or smuggler, and none of them have any love for the Empire," Ahsoka reassured the Jedi. They stopped for moment as a Belsavian human started a fight with a Rodian over rotten produce. "However, we shouldn't start a fight with the locals."

The group stepped around the fighting duo and had to drag Zeb along when he stopped to watch the fight. They made their way to the Nordic North cantina, which seemed to be the only cantina in the small town. Luckily there wasn't a bouncer at the door, so they got into the building relatively easily.

The inside of the building was to say the least, in the crew's opinion, actually nice. One thing for was sure that the place was cleaner than most places they've been to. The place was moderately lite. A small band was located on the left side of the bar with the band playing a catchy tune. And a variety of species were seated at various tables enjoying their drinks and filled the cantina with the buzz of their talk and laughter.

Ahsoka led the crew to the bar. "Hail Stoick the Vast, true king of the Belsavians," she whispered to the short Besalisk standing behind the bar. The four-armed alien regarded the group with a critical eye before inclining his head to the only shadowed part of the cantina. Ezra looked to see a hooded figure sitting in the large booth where he could also see a large two-sided axe leaning against the table.

Ahsoka raised an eyebrow at the figure before walking towards the person. The hooded figure turned their head slightly to acknowledge the group before rising from the booth. "Well, well, well, Ahsoka." A feminine voice sounded out from beneath the hood. The woman pushed the furry hood of her shawl back to reveal a human woman in her early thirties with cobalt eyes and blonde hair styled into a thick braid that hung over her left shoulder. "Fancy meeting you here? Surprised to see me?"

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes at the woman and subtlety placed her hands on the hilt of her lightsabers. "Surprised? Not really. It's hard to be shocked when you have that ridiculous axe with you." The woman narrowed her eyes at Ahsoka, causing the Ghost crew to place their hands on their weapons. However, Kanan and Ezra couldn't sense any malicious intent from the woman.

The woman suddenly smiled and let out a small laugh as she relaxed her stance. "What took you so long?" Ahsoka smiled in returned and the two women embraced each other. The Ghost crew relaxed as they stared at the duo with raised eyebrows.

"It's good to see you again old friend." Ahsoka smiled as she released her friend. She turned her attention to the Ghost crew. "Everyone this is Astrid Hofferson-Haddock. My informant here on Belsavis." She turned back to Astrid to introduce the crew. "Astrid these are some of my friends. Kanan Jarrus, Hera Syndulla, Zeb Orrelios, Sabine Wren, and Ezra Bridger."

Astrid nodded her head in greeting. "It's nice to meet you all. Come sit." Everyone soon started occupying the space in the booth except Zeb and Sabine, who went to order drinks. She smiled at Kanan and Ezra. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you two wouldn't happen to be Jedi, would you?"

Kanan and Ezra stared at the woman incredulously then started making weak attempts to dissuade her assumptions. Astrid smirked at the duo and held up a hand to stop them. "It's alright, I won't tell anyone. But if you hadn't figured by my name, I'm married to a Jedi."

Kanan smirked, as he knew who exactly married the woman in front of him. Ezra looked over to his mentor with a slight frown. "So your friend's last name is Haddock?" The older Jedi sent a side eye glare to his Padawan.

Astrid huffed out a small laugh. "I see you haven't told your apprentice about my husband." Her smile slowly turned into a frown as she crossed her arms on the table. "However, he might not be the man you once remember."

Kanan looked at the woman in shock before leaning forward slightly. "Did something happen to him?"

Astrid shook her head slightly. "You know as well as I do that a lot of things have happened since the years following the Clone Wars. Our people went from being proud, independent warriors to becoming dependent on the Empire. You may not see it, but the Empire's lapdog has forbidden us from following our traditions, driven most of our food sources to extinction, and has put a restriction on most of our trade." She let out a sigh as Zeb and Sabine came back and handed her one of the drinks. "These acts were put into effect five years after the Clone Wars and the king was murdered. My husband was devastated when these changes occurred however he refuses to outright fight the Empire."

"Why wouldn't he fight," Sabine asked as she took a sip from her drink. "From what I know, a Belsavian craves a good fight just as much as a Mandalorian does."

"Because he wasn't raised the Belsavian way, he raised the Jedi way," Kanan responded. "Even when we were younglings, he always preferred doing research over learning how to fight. And when he was in conflict, he would always try to find ways to end the fight in a peaceful solution."

"And that doesn't settle well with most of our people, but they would never revolt against him," Astrid stated while bringing her fist down onto the table.

"Why not," Zeb asked after he took a swig from his drink. "It's obvious that they don't like the way he's running things."

Astrid opened her mouth to respond when something at the entrance to the cantina stopped her. The Ghost crew glanced over the booth and saw a couple of Stormtroopers and Belsavian soldiers by the entrance. The troops were shoving their way through the crowd and roughly pulled the hoods off a few patrons.

"Friends of yours," Hera asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Not in the slightest," Astrid responded. She looked over to troops quickly before standing from the booth. "You all need to get out of here before they see you. Meet me outside by the front entrance."

"We'll need a distraction," Ahsoka countered.

"Give me a second." Astrid grabbed her axe and placed it on her back. She strolled past one of the Belsavian troops and subtlety stuck her foot out. The bulky man tripped and knocked himself into a fierce looking Trandoshan causing the lizard to spill his drink on himself. The Trandoshan snarled before slowly turning to the man and punched him in the face. Thus causing a bar brawl to ensue.

Soon the sounds of furious patrons began to sound with the Imperial troops caught in the middle of the fight. The Ghost crew along with Ahsoka began to make their way out of the building through the back door. Kanan had to pull Ezra back when one of the patrons was sent flying through the air and smacked into the wall next to them. The Quarren groaned as he slid down the wall passed out before he touched the ground.

The group had to go down a darkly lit hallway before finally exiting the building. Sabine peeked out from doorway and signaled that the alleyway was clear. They rounded to the front of the building where a bit of the fighting spilled out from the cantina. Astrid was standing a bit of a distance away from the fight next to a speeder bike.

The group made their way to the blonde-haired woman and started walking away from the scene with the woman pushing the bike along with her. Astrid had a self-satisfied look on her face but caught the raised eyebrow from the Togruta. "What?" She shrugged her shoulders and allowed a smirk to appear on her face. "We got out of there without having draw our weapons didn't we and no one got hurt." One of the patrons from the bar hobbled past them before falling onto the ground in an unconscious heap.

Ahsoka raised an eyebrow and pinned her friend with a look. "Okay, no one we know got hurt." Astrid had a sheepish smile on her face that made the Togruta smile softly.

They soon came up to the Ghost and quickly entered the ship to escape the cold. The Ghost crew breathed in relief as Hera and Kanan climbed up into the cockpit to start ship. Astrid leaned against the wall of the cargo hold and crossed her arms over her chest.

Now that they were under proper lighting, Ezra finally got a good look at the woman. Astrid was wearing a form-fitting red shirt, a fur skirt with spike-studded leather stripes sewn in, blue tights with leather knee pads sewn in, large fur-rimmed armbands covered in leather twine, knee-high fur covered boots, leather twine wrapped around her upper arms, and hidden under her blonde hair was a leather headband. Ezra's eyes then landed on the large decorated axe next to her. Astrid caught Ezra looking and smirked at him.

"You can touch it if you want." Ezra smiled and walked over the woman. He placed his hand on the wooden handle and was amazed at how smooth it was. Suddenly, he gripped the weapon and tried to lift it up. It was then that he realized how heavy it was. He started making grunting like sounds as he was barely able to lift it, much to the amusement of the occupants in cargo hold.

"Don't hurt yourself," Astrid said lightly as Sabine came over to examine the weapon. She was amazed by the intricate design on the blades and the skull that was shaped at the end of the handle. Sabine tried to lift up the axe as well but only got it an inch off the ground.

"It's so heavy." Sabine grunted before she dropped the weapon onto the ground.

"It's suppose to be," Astrid muttered as she grabbed her weapon and easily placed it on her back. "However, over the past fifteen years we have developed metal as light as air, but strong enough to deflect a lightsaber blade." This amazed the two teens much to Zeb's amusement.

"Speaking of which," Ahsoka interrupted the blonde. "We really need to get to your base."

"Of course." Astrid started up the ladder with the rest of the group following close behind. They found the blonde leaning over Hera as she inputted the coordinates to her home base. The Twi-lek woman smiled at the blonde before bringing the ship up into the air. "We should be there in half an hour. Hopefully the TIE fighters aren't out on patrol."

During the time spent traveling to the base, most of the crew led Astrid to the Common Area where she lectured Ezra and Sabine about her culture with the two listening in interest. Ezra curious about the Belsavians and Sabine due to how little information was gathered by the Imperials. Soon a chime echoed throughout ship signaling that they reached their destination. The blonde looked up from her arm wrestling match with Zeb and allowed a smirk to appear. She slammed their fists onto the table and laughed victoriously while the Lasat groaned.

She continued to chuckle as they went back to the cockpit with Ezra teasing the Lasat. Once entering the cockpit, they were greeted with the sight of a long mountain range range. With no sign of a base anywhere. Ahsoka turned to her friend and saw she had a smirk on her face. Astrid leaned over Hera again and entered a series of codes before sending them out. A tense moment passed before two glaciers parted to reveal an opening in the mountain.

"Welcome to Dragon's Edge," Astrid said as Hera guided the Ghost into the mountain.

* * *

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	3. Dragon's Edge

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters except for my OCs**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Hera directed the Ghost through the opening in the mountain and entered what appeared to be an old hanger bay built into an ice cave. It was filled with old Republic ARC-170s, Y-Wing Bombers, V-19 Torrent Interceptors, stolen TIE-fighters, and much to the shock of the Clone Wars veterans, an old Separatist Dreadnought. Hera landed the Ghost next to a modified, black painted Nova Drive 3-Z light freighter.

Everyone looked out the window of the cockpit and saw their first sight of one of the planet's native creatures. Standing next to a tall human man with short black hair was a large green Varactyl with a burgundy red face and the red feathers designed as two horns. The Varactyl was staring at the Ghost with what appeared to be suspicion before shaking its head.

Astrid smiled as she led the crew off the ship and towards the man. As the group stepped off the ship, the off-worlders were surprised at how warm the cavern was. The two Belsavians smiled at each other and greeted each other in their native tongue. Astrid patted the Varactyl's muzzle before turning to the group.

"Everyone this is Eret Corrino, one of our best warriors in the battalion and dragon riders." Astrid turned to Eret with a smirk. "Eret, well, you know who they are."

"I'd be a blind Kowakian monkey-lizard if I didn't." Eret spoke with a slight accent that he tried to hide. "It is an honor to meet the rebels of Lothal." He then pointed to Ahsoka before crossing his arms over his chest. "Except you, as I have no idea who are."

Ahsoka smiled slightly and crossed her arms as well. "My name is Ahsoka, Ahsoka Tano codename Fulcrum."

Eret's eyes suddenly popped out of his head as he stared at the Togruta. "Ahsoka Tano, as in the apprentice of the 'Hero with No Fear.' You were a hero during the Clone Wars, but you disappeared near the end of the war."

Ahsoka seemed uncomfortable but hid her unease as she shrugged her shoulders. "I'd prefer it if we keep the number of people who know I exist to a minimum." Eret nodded his head in consent.

While they were talking, Ezra walked up to the Varactyl and the Dragonmount was eying him distrustfully. The teen reached his hand out before he had to back away suddenly when it growled at him. Eret finally noticed what the blunette was doing and tensed. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Ezra ignored him and reached out again before closing his eyes and turned his head away. The Varactyl was letting out huffs before closing its eyes and leaned its beaked head into the hand. Ezra opened his eyes and smiled as the Varactyl let out a purr-like sound.

Eret was staring at the teen with shock, while the rest of the crew was in awe at their crewmember's display. "I can't believe it. Skullcrusher is normally aggressive to strangers and doesn't let anyone except those he knows get close to him." The Varactyl let out a snort and seemed to glare at the man. "Mostly."

Astrid snorted and turned her stern glare onto her friend. "Eret, where is my husband and his second in command?"

Eret smiled slightly. "Our dear Chief is currently on a supply raid with alpha squad. However, Jack is currently at the Training Arena with his Padawan." Ezra perked up at the mention of a Padawan and glanced up at his mentor. Kanan just glanced down at his Padawan with a raised eyebrow, but he had a slight smile on his face.

"Training Arena it is then." Astrid suddenly turned to one of the repulsor lift transports and started up the machine. The off-worlders piled onto the transport. Eret hopped onto Skullcrusher's saddle and waited for Astrid. The blonde maneuvered the transport towards an entrance tunnel with Skullcrusher following close behind.

"I have to ask, how big is Dragon's Edge," Ahsoka inquired to her friend who had a slight smirk on her face.

"See for yourself." Suddenly the transport sped off from the ledge, with Skullcrusher taking off into the air. The tunnel the group just left opened up to one of the most beautiful sights the crew had ever seen. They were staring at an ice-roofed caldera that could easily hold ten Imperial Star Destroyers and was held up by rocky pillars with a waterfall cascading down into a river that cut through a valley being used as farmland. Not far from the valley was a series of plateaus that had a small village built onto it. A couple of Varactyls could be seen flying over the village and around the caldera as well as a small Narglatch pack down in the valley. Sabine quickly scanned the village so she could paint a replica in her room later. Eret pulled up along side the transport and grinned at the awestruck look on their faces.

Astrid directed the transport towards the far end of the caldera where a large chain-roofed arena was sitting on a cliff face. The transport settled outside the entrance to the arena with Skullcrusher landing with a thud. Astrid and Eret led the group over to a bunch of Varactyls whom were staring down into the arena. As they got closer to the arena, the Jedi could sense two strong force signatures from the area.

Hidden amongst the Varactyls, was a tall man in his early thirties with short messy white hair and deathly pale skin. He was dressed in a sleeveless dark blue tunic with a thick fur collar that also acted as a hood, fingerless blue gloves, intricately designed blue arm braces, a belt covered in pouches around his waist, brown trousers, and a pair of fur-rimmed brown leathers boots. Strapped to his back was an electro-staff while holstered to his right hip was a blaster rifle. The man glanced out from the corner of his eye and spotted the group.

"Astrid, Eret." He greeted his fellow rebels with a nod but raising an eyebrow at the newcomers. The crew of the Ghost was met with a pair of light blue eyes that seemed darker than they actually were due to the long scar that stretched from the tip of his left eyebrow to the center of his right cheek. The small goatee around his mouth also accented his frown. He sighed as a rubbed a tired hand over his face. "What has the Empire done now to bring these-" He stopped when his gaze settled on Ahsoka.

The Togruta smiled at the white-haired man before standing in front of him. The man blinked for a couple of seconds before shaking his head.

"Ahsoka?"

The woman's smile turned into a smirk as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I've never pegged for the kind that could easily be gob-smacked, Jack." The man, Jack, huffed out a laugh as a mischievous smirk appeared on his face.

"Shows what you know 'Soka, but then again you aren't very bright." Ahsoka narrowed her eyes at her friend before a smirk appeared on her face. She lightly punched his shoulder and the two shared a laugh.

He turned to the rest of the group and smiled at them. "Are they who I they think are?"

Ahsoka nodded her head. "Meet the infamous Ghost crew of Lothal."

Jack's smile turned into a thoughtful frown as he stared hard at Kanan. "You look familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?"

Kanan coughed and rubbed his hand on the back of his neck. "I was Master Depa Billaba's padawan."

His frown deepened as he crossed his arms. "But Master Billaba's padawan was-" He stopped when he caught the look Kanan sent his way. "Ah, I see. Well no wonder I recognized you. It's hard to forget someone who didn't know when to stop asking questions." Kanan seemed to blush as his friends pinned him with raised eyebrows. "However, I think that was what made you the cleverest youngling in the temple."

Kanan smiled at the compliment and was about to speak when a shout from the arena stopped him. Everyone looked down into the pit to see a teenage human girl wearing a blindfold over her eyes was standing in the center in a battle stance. Surrounding her were various barricades that were big enough for a person to hide behind. Though the odd thing about them was that they were recently splattered with paint. Suddenly a young Pantoran man stood up and threw a bag of paint at her. The girl suddenly spun on her heel and thrust her hand out. The bag stopped in midair.

All of the off worlders stared at the teen in awe as they realized that she was the Padawan Eret was talking about.

With a grunt, the girl sent the bag back at the Pantoran. He ducked behind the barricade and the bag hit the arena wall in a splatter of green paint. When the girl sent the bag flying with the Force, a Rodian teen girl shot up from the other side of the arena and threw a bag at her. The girl repeated her actions and sent the bag flying. This continued on as two human girls, a human boy, the Rodian girl, the Pantoran boy, a Zabrak boy, and a Togruta boy continued to assault the girl with paint bags. After a few minutes, the bags of flying paint bags slowly stopped.

"I'm out!"

"Same!"

"No more paint!"

"Did anyone get her!?"

"Nope!" The girl had a smirk on her face as she relaxed her stance and turned in Jack's direction. "Not bad, huh, Jack. Not a single splotch of paint."

Jack had a slight smirk on his face as the assembled group watched as the youngest human girl snuck up on the older girl. He let out a mischievous laugh as the girl yelped when a paint bag was tossed on her head. The young girl cheered victoriously as the older girl began to wipe the yellow paint off her hair. "You got cocky, and lost focus. If you hadn't, you would have realized that your sister still had an extra paint bag."

The girl muttered under her breath as the assembled teens laughed under their breaths. They made their way out of the arena and the Varactyls bounded over to their riders. A majority of the teens left the arena leaving behind only the two sisters and the Zabrak male. The three made their way over to them with the oldest sister still trying to get the paint out of her hair.

As they got closer, the offworlders got a better look at the teenagers. The Zabrak appeared to be older than Sabine by a year or two with horns decorating the top of his head and a pair of long horns pointing vertically from each side of his head. He had long tufts of black hair hanging from the back of his head. He wore a sleeveless brown tunic with a studded belt wrapped around his waist, metal shoulder plates, black trousers, black fur-rimmed boots, and metal arm guards. He had a deep frown on his face that was accented by his tattoos and his sharp pale blue eyes.

The youngest in the group appeared to be younger than Ezra by two years. She had shoulder length bright red curly hair and bright green eyes. The girl was wore a black helmet with three red tipped spines decorating each side, a red intricately designed chest plate, red and orange shoulder plates also decorated in spines, forearm length fingerless gloves, spike covered arm bands, a triple layered skirt held up by a belt, black leggings, and tanned boots covered in black fur. She smiled warmly at the group and placed her arms behind her back.

The Padawan appeared to be the same age as the Zabrak if only younger by a few months. The girl had long dark auburn hair pulled in a low ponytail. She was wearing a black shirt with only a green sleeve covering her left arm, a knee length tannish skirt with overlapping black fabric, and black leggings. On her left forearm was a wrist computer while a snake-designed armband was on her right forearm. She had some type of shiny metal decorating her clothing. The metal made up her belt and kneepads, the hem of her black skirt, and the layered shoulder pads along with the straps on her chest. She had the blindfold gripped in her hand and had her hazel eyes narrowed in frustration.

"You know Jack." The Padawan began as she finished removing the paint from her hair. "You could have used something other than paint for training."

"Then where would the fun be," Jack mocked.

She sent the white-haired man a wry look before raising her hand and flicked her paint-covered fingers at him. She smirked in amusement, as his face was speckled with yellow paint.

Ezra snickered under his breath before he jumped back in surprise. The red-haired girl was suddenly standing right in front of him and staring intently at his face. A wide smile appeared on her face as her eyes sparked with recognition.

"You're Ezra Bridger of the Ghost crew!"

He stared at the girl in shock before turning to his crewmates. "Our adventures could not have been that famous." Zeb chuckled softly and patted his head.

"Hey, anyone who messes with the Empire scores a point in my book," the redhead remarked. "But I wasn't talking about your exploits, I was talking about your message." She dug her hand into the pouch on her belt and pulled out a comm. She pressed the button and the message that Ezra sent out a few months ago played.

Kanan looked down at his Padawan with pride as he listened to the message. Ezra's message had done what it was meant to do, inspire hope in others and find the courage to fight back against the Empire. When the message ended, the girl placed her comm back into the pouch.

"You inspired a lot of people here," the Zabrak teen commented. "You even opened the eyes of a majority of the people who live in these caverns that everything is not okay in the outside world."

"Thanks...umm."

Jack snorted softly as he walked over to the teens. "Ghost crew meet a few members of our Gamma squad, Reneè Corrino," he patted his hand on the redhead's shoulder, "Waric Croft," he pointed to the Zabrak teen, "and my Padawan Anjelica Corrino," the white-haired man placed both hands on the older girl's shoulders.

The Padawan scoffed lightly and smirked a little. "Just call me Ana." She stepped away from Jack to take a closer look at Sabine's armor. "I like your armor, it's a lot more colorful than what we got around here."

Sabine smiled at the older girl's compliment. "Thanks, if you want I could add a little artistic flair to yours if you want."

"I'll keep that in mind." She looked over to Ezra and noticed the lightsaber on his belt. A competitive gleam appeared in her eye as she finally met someone she could train with. Ezra looked over at the older girl and smirked at the older girl.

Kanan noticed the look on his Padawan's face. He groaned lightly and pinched the bridge of his nose. Jack laughed lightly and patted the Jedi's shoulder. "You should have known this would happen. From what I've seen, two stubborn Padawans were bound to create a sense of competition with each other."

"Everything is not a competition, Jack."

Everyone turned to the sound of a nasally sarcastic voice to see a large lean black Varactyl land in front of them. As soon as the Varactyl landed, a tall figure dressed completely in brown leather armor and a fur cape jumped down and stood in front of the group. He removed the helmet from his head and a man with scruffy brown hair was revealed. He took a second to ruffle his hair before pinning the group with a stern glare.

Astrid smiled as she walked over to the man and placed her hands on his chest. The two smiled lovingly at each other and shared a passionate kiss. The three Belsavian teens scrunched up their faces and made noises of disgust. Both adults looked at the teens with raised eyebrows that quieted them.

The man looked over at the group and his bright green eyes widened when they landed on Kanan and Ahsoka. He walked over to the two force-users and stared at them intently. He jerked back in shock as he recognized the duo. "Ahsoka? Ca-"

A loud excited hoot interrupted the man as the black Varactyl suddenly got excited. The Varactyl was staring intently at the duo and suddenly sprung forward. Ahsoka's eyes widened and moved to the side just in time as the Dragonmount pounced on them. Kanan was not so lucky. The Jedi grunted as the Varactyl pinned him to the ground and nuzzled and licked his face.

Ezra and Zeb laughed at their friend's predicament while Hera and Sabine placed a hand over their mouths to try to suppress their laughter. Kanan groaned as the Varactyl continue to happily lick him. "Hiccup!" Kanan was finally able to shout to his friend as his cheek was licked. "Call off your lizard," he groaned.

Chuckling, the man, known as Hiccup, tapped the black Varactyl's back. "Alright bud, that's enough." The Varactyl perked his head up, blinked, and flared out his feathered mane. The Varactyl gave Kanan one last lick before bounding over to Ahsoka.

Kanan moaned in disgust as he tried to shake the drool off of himself, he cringed when the saliva still clung to his hands and face. Hiccup snorted as he held a hand out to his friend. "Please tell me this washes out," Kanan pleaded as he accepted the offered hand.

Hiccup smirked as he helped his friend onto his feet. "Sorry, it doesn't." The rest of the Belsavians nodded their heads in agreement. Kanan sighed heavily before glaring at a snickering Ezra. He flicked his drool-covered hands at the teen and smirked as it splattered across the teen's face. Ezra sent Kanan a dry look and accepted the towel Reneè handed him.

Hiccup smiled at the rest of the Ghost crew. "It's an honor to meet the rebels of Lothal. My name is Hiccup Haddock."

"Hiccup?" Most of crew stared at the man incredulously except for Kanan, who had a slight smirk on his face.

Hiccup sighed. "Great name I know," he explained sarcastically. "But it's not the worst." Most of the Belsavians hummed in agreement. "Parents on Belsavis mostly believe a hideous name will frighten off anoobas and nexus. Like our charming demeanor wouldn't do that." The Belsavian teens smiled innocently as Hiccup sent them a pointed look.

Hiccup looked over to Ahsoka and smiled since his Varactyl was lying on its back and allowed the Togruta woman to stroke it's belly. The Varactyl purring in contentment and had it's tongue hanging from its mouth. Ahsoka laughed lightly. "I see Toothless is doing alright."

"Toothless," Ezra asked incredulously.

"Don't ask," Ana softly said with a smile.

Hiccup smiled before a frown appeared on his face. "Not that I'm glad to see you and that you're alive after all these years, but why are you here now? Astrid mentioned something about a larger rebellion."

The Ghost crew and Ahsoka looked at each other briefly and Hera stepped forward. "To be honest with you, we need your help." This caused a majority of the Belsavian adults to look at each other questionably.

* * *

Meanwhile across the galaxy, an Imperial Star Destroyer was drifting on the edge of the Mid Rim territories. Lord Pitch Black stared out at the vast expanse of space from the bridge of his cruiser. The Umbarran man felt a disturbance in the force and knew that something was about to happen.

"My lord," one of his commanders walked up to him with a datapad in hand. Lord Black turned to look at the officer with a raised eyebrow. "We just received information that might interest you."

Lord Black simply held out a hand and accepted the datapad. As he read over the information, a smirk formed on his face. "Where was this procured from?" He walked to the back of the bridge where the communication station was located with his officer following.

The officer walked over to one of the computers and brought up the information that was reported as well as a few security feeds. "Our intelligence on Belsavis made the report and sent it to the ISB." Lord Black narrowed his eyes as he played the security feeds.

The camera was pointed in the direction of an alleyway behind a local bar in Del Rio. Coming out from the back door was each member of the Ghost crew along with a Togruta woman. A familiar Togruta woman.

"So she did survive," Black muttered to himself as he played the next security feed. This time the camera was pointed in the direction of the street across from the bar. He watched as the Ghost crew and Togruta appear and stop next to a hooded woman. None of the holograms caught a glimpse of the woman's features, but that was of no concern for the Umbarran. He has found his prey.

"Admiral," he called out to the Imperial officer on the bridge. "Set a course for the Belsavis system." The man saluted and relayed the orders to the other officers. Soon the blue lanes of hyperspace appeared and the Star Destroyer disappeared.

* * *

 **Please leave a comment and tell me what you think or PM me**


	4. Conversations with a bit of fun

**To start off my ramblings, I've actually wanted to post this chapter earlier today in honor of the premiere of the third season of Star Wars Rebels. But I had to help clean up my house, do homework for my college classes, and keep an eye on my Grandma. But to be completely honest with you guys, I had this chapter done for a while now but I wanted to post this chapter with the next chapter for "Rise of the Padawans." But that has been taking a lot longer to write than I thought, not to mention the fact that I've also been writing the next chapter for "Once a Hero, Always a Hero."**

 **And did anyone else get goosebumps while watching the first episode of Star Wars Rebels at the appearance of Grand Admiral Thrawn. Ohhhhhh, I just can't wait until the Ghost Crew officially meets him. EEEEeeeeeeeeee!**

 **One last thing, I have a lot of drawings posted on my Deviantart page under the same name so go and check them out.**

 **Now I'm done with my fangirling and information giving for now, so on with the story.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters except for my OCs.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

It was some time later when everyone split to either explore the ice caverns or talk to the leaders of the Battalion. Zeb decided to stay in the Arena to test his might against some of the heavier set rebels. Sabine and Ezra went with Ana, Reneè, and Waric to the stables to see more of the Varactyls. Kanan, Hera, and Ahsoka were walking around in the main village with Hiccup, Jack, and Astrid. Three Varactyls were following them; Toothless, a pure white Varactyl with bright blue eyes, and a light blue Varactyl with cream colored feathers and underbelly.

In the years following the Clone Wars, all they've seen from the public was defeated resignation to the oppressive rule of the Empire. However, here the civilians were relaxed and happy. The Jedi in the group could sense how content everyone was. There was no sign of any Stormtroopers or Imperial officers harassing the masses. The citizens went about their business and children were seen playing with each other in the streets. The buildings were built into the cliff face and served as housing for the villagers as well as the large meeting hall and infirmary. The few buildings that were hand built were the armory, blacksmith forge, storage house, a large barn, and for some reason racing stands.

The group was just walking past a large human man who had a small brown Varactyl waddling next to him. On its back were five kids, a Duros boy, a Togruta girl, a Pantoran girl, and two human boys. The man was apparently in the middle of a history lesson and was lecturing the kids. He nodded to Hiccup and Jack while the kids beamed and waved at the duo.

"I never thought I would see people so happy," Hera said as the man led the Varactyl and kids away. "I never thought with the Empire in power that they would be so-"

"Free," Hiccup finished for her.

"Which is why I believe that the rest of the galaxy can benefit from what you have accomplished here," Ahsoka commented.

A heavy scowl set on Hiccup's features. "I will not put the lives of my people at risk."

"They already put their lives at risk by just ambushing Imperial convoys," Hera countered. "All that you're doing is being an annoyance to the Empire, they'll just send more troops to this planet and create a bigger problem for you."

"You all seem to be under the assumption that this is a military base," Hiccup retorted. "This is a civilian base, nothing more nothing less. We may be better off than other camps scattered across the galaxy, but the majority of the people here are not fighters. Some of them are farmers or traders a lot of them with families, and they're only here because they have nowhere else to go. If we full on fight the Empire, we run the risk of them discovering these caves and endangering everyone."

"So you are just going to sit back and do nothing," Kanan said disbelieving what his friend was saying. "The Hiccup I know would do what is right not what seems to be easy."

Hiccup scowled and sent an icy glare at Kanan. The Jedi didn't flinch and met the glare with his own. The two men held each other's stare for a moment before Hiccup turned away from the group. "The way I see it, the only way to win against the Empire and Drago's rule is by surviving and we all did that pretty well for the past fifteen years. And I intend to make sure everyone in these caverns survive." He hopped onto Toothless's back and took a hold of the reins. "I'll let you and your crew stay here for one day to resupply then I want you all gone." He looked to Ahsoka and his face softened. "I'm sorry but my word is final." He snapped the reins and Toothless took off into the air.

Kanan let out a frustrated growl and glared in the direction his friend went off. Hera placed a calming hand on his shoulder and he smiled stiffly at her. He let out a sigh before looking towards Astrid and Jack. "That is not the Hiccup I remember."

Astrid shrugged in apology. "Like I said, so much has happened that it changed everyone. However, I do agree with you that we need to take a more active role in the rebellion."

"Is there anyway that we could convince him otherwise," Hera asked.

"You have to understand how bullheaded Belsavians are, it'll take a lot to change his mind." Jack ignored the deadpan stare Astrid sent in his direction before she rolled her eyes. "Unfortunately, I don't know what can change his mind."

Everyone fell silent at the implications that could be involved. Jack let out a sigh as he ran a hand through his unruly hair. He looked over to the three rebels and shrugged his shoulders. "I wish we could do more, really I do, but his word is law around here. As you two know very well." Kanan and Ahsoka nodded their heads, but Hera looked at the group in confusion. "Come on, let's go to the hanger bay."

As they started walking through the village, Hera slowed her pace so she was walking next to Kanan. The Jedi raised an inquiring eyebrow at the Twi'lek. "Kanan, what makes Hiccup so special?"

The man's eyebrows sprung up into his hairline before he let out an exhausted sigh. "Hiccup was the son of Stoick the Vast."

Hera jerked back as he recognized the name. "The former King of Belsavis? Then that makes the him-"

"The rightful heir to the throne."

* * *

Meanwhile, over at the stables, Ana, Renée, and Waric were showing Ezra and Sabine all the Varactyls that were living there. Many of them were currently resting in their individual pens either resting or, in the case of most of the females, taking care of their young. At the moment, the Belsavians were showing the offworlders how to groom them. Ana and Sabine were standing next to a lean brown female Varactyl with white circle markings, a red underbelly, and black feathers. It was letting out a purr like sound as the two girls scrubbed its flank.

"She's well trained," Sabine commented as she rubbed a sponge against the Varactyl's left flank. The Varactyl turned her head to look at the Mandalorian with intelligent bright amber eyes and nuzzled the girl's hand. Sabine let out a laugh and ran a hand down the Varactyl's beak.

"I raised Latias since she was an egg, it was all part of a new tradition Hiccup started," Ana responded. "When a Belsavian child becomes twelve standard years old, they are either given an egg or allowed to choose a pup and raise them. A good majority of everyone in these caves has a Varactyl."

Across the aisle, Waric was leaning against the wall as Reneè and Ezra tended to a young male Varactyl. The dragon mount was a pale blue almost light grey color with red and blacks markings, dark orange feathers, and hypnotizing red eyes. This Varactyl appeared to be smaller than the one in the next pen and was only taller than Ezra and Reneè by a head.

The Varactyl let out a huff before purring as Ezra rubbed the top of its head with a sponge. Ezra let out a laugh as the Varactyl shook the water out of its crown feathers. Reneè also laughed as she ran a hand down the side of the Varactyl's head. "Be nice, Kodlak." The Varactyl let out a mischievous bark before lying down on the ground.

"Don't get me wrong," Ezra started as he tossed his sponge into a water bucket next to them. "This place is great and all, but doesn't it get a little-"

"Quiet," Reneè finished for him. The redhead shrugged as she tossed her sponge into the bucket as well. "You're not the only one who thinks that way. A majority of the warriors here wish to test their might in battle, but the Chief won't have it."

"Why is that," Sabine asked from the other stall. "No offense, but from what we've been told so far, your chief is acting like a coward."

"A little harsh don't you think," Waric commented, "but I don't know what to tell you. He's always been this way, even when my family and I were relocated to these caves."

"But he wasn't always like this," Ana countered as she and Sabine leaned against Kodlak's stable door. "I remember Jack telling me stories of how he was the first person to tame and befriend a Varactyl. How Hiccup led him and the first Dragon Riders to battle against Dagur the Deranged when the mad man staged a coup against King Stoick. And many other adventures."

Ezra looked at each of the teens and crossed his arms before he walked out of the stall with Waric and Reneè. "What happened?"

Ana sighed as her eyes became downcast. "For five years, King Stoick has done everything in his power to keep the Empire off of Belsavis. As a result, the planet fell into an economic depression. When the Empire sent an emissary to negotiate allowing an Imperial presence here, he refused. Stoick wouldn't allow his people to be oppressed and deprived of their traditions. The next day, Stoick was found murdered in his bedchambers. As a result his advisor, Drago Bludvist, took over and allowed the Empire to have a presence here."

"But what does this have to do with Hiccup," Sabine asked.

The three Belsavians glanced at each other before Waric answered. "Stoick was Hiccup's father, making him the rightful heir to the throne of Belsavis." This made Ezra jerk back a little in shock and Sabine sighed in realization. "Hiccup got to know Stoick for a while during the Clone Wars. When the Jedi and Republic fell, Stoick gave Hiccup and Jack sanctuary. The two became close after that and when the King died, Hiccup was devastated."

Sabine and Ezra glanced at each other and were silent for a moment. They were thinking about all that they lost to the Empire and could relate to the Chief. "Why doesn't he do more," Sabine inquired.

"A couple reasons actually," Reneè responded. "The chief is afraid that if we full on fight the Empire then our way of life and everything we achieved would be destroyed."

"And the other reason," Ezra inquired before he felt something in the force. He turned his head slightly to the left and saw to two little heads duck behind one of the stalls. He glanced over to Ana and her eyes were also trained on the same area. Was that giggling he heard?

"Well-" Waric started before he was interrupted.

"ATTACK!" Two voices shouted before a bunch of paint bags were thrown at the teens. Ezra had enough time to grab Reneè and duck into Kodlak's stall while Ana tackled Sabine to the ground. Soon the onslaught of paint bags ended and the two force-sensitives peeked out from their hiding places. Sabine and Reneè also looked up and laughed. Waric wasn't very fortunate in the so called 'attack' and was now covered head-to-toe in an assortment of colors.

Waric had an unamused look on his face as excess paint dripped off his frame. That was when two disappointed moans rang out. The teens looked over to the end of the hallway and saw two kids. The two appeared to eight years old and siblings. One was a boy with short messy blonde hair and sharp green eyes. He was wearing a red tunic, leather belt, brown trousers, and brown fur-rimmed boots. The other was a girl with long brown pulled back into a braid and bright blue eyes. She was wearing a tight fitting blue shirt, brown leather knee-length skirt, black leggings, brown leather wrappings on her arms, and red boots. Both had small pouts on their faces making them look adorable.

"I thought we got you that time, Ana," the boy stated.

"Next time kiddo," Ana said with a smirk on her face. "Look on the bright side, at least you got Waric." The Zabrak said nothing as he sent a side eye glare at his friend.

"We always get Waric," the girl stated as she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "It's not as fun anymore."

"Lucky me," Waric muttered sarcastically before he walked over to a water well.

"Anyways," the girl said as her eyes landed on Ezra and Sabine. "Who are these people? Are they refugees as well?"

"Or?" The boy interrupted his sister with a sinister look on his young face. "Are they new victims to face our mischievous fury?!" He let out a laugh afterwards.

Sabine and Ezra looked at each other with raised eyebrows before looking at the Belsavian teens. Waric and Reneè had deadpan looks on their faces while Ana shook her head in exasperation. She pinned them with a look and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Okay first, this is Sabine and Ezra, they're rebels from another star system," Ana explained to the duo before becoming exasperated. "And how many times do I have to tell you two, to stop hanging out with the Thorston twins?"

"You'll probably have to continually remind us for the rest of our pre-teen and teen years," the boy answered smartly.

"Also," the girl continued with an excited gleam in her eyes as she turned to the offworlders, "you're rebels too, that is so wizard."

"Do you have your own starship?"

"Do you get to travel to other planets?"

"How many systems have you been too?"

"How often do you fight the Empire?"

"What is it like out there?"

Ezra and Sabine were overwhelmed by the onslaught of questions the two were giving them and looked at each other. Ana was quick to interject and stood in front of the two. "Easy there kiddos, try not to scare them too much."

Both kids grinned maniacally at the teens. Ana sighed and ran a hand over her eyes. "You two are Devils, you know that?" She ignored their indignant squawks of protest and turned to Ezra and Sabine. "The boy is Halvar Haddock and the other is his twin sister Turid. They are the second reason why Hiccup won't take a more active role in the rebellion, to keep them safe."

Ezra raised an eyebrow at the twins and stared at them incredulously. "I get that Haddock wants to keep them safe, but how could they prevent him from taking on a more active role?"

Ana raised an eyebrow as well. "Do you really not sense it?"

Ezra stared at the girl for a moment before turning to the twins and closed his eyes. As he did so, he reached out with his senses through the Force. He recognized Sabine's colorful presence, and knew that she was currently at ease. Next was Waric's blue presence and knew he was calm yet annoyed at the moment. Reneè's presence was a bright yellow and he could sense the energy that was bubbling up. Ana's presence shone a bright orange and was currently at ease though somewhat tense. Ezra turned his attention to the twins and was surprised at what he sensed. The Force was blaring out from the two white presences in front of him.

Ezra scoffed lightly as he stared at the two kids and smiled. "I shouldn't be surprised."

"Not really," Ana agreed. "Since they are Hiccup's kids, it came as no surprise when everyone found out they were force sensitive." She turned to the two kids with a raised eyebrow. "Speaking of which, what are you two doing here? Shouldn't you be with Hiccup for Force training right now?"

The smirks on their faces vanished as their expressions became downcast. "We were on our way to the training arena, but dad had to cancel," Halvar muttered.

"He said that he had to help Snotlout recalibrate the security systems in some of the caves since they we're acting up," Turid explained angrily. "Personally, I think he just doesn't want to spend time with us."

Reneè stepped forward and made a placating gesture. "Hey, don't think like that. He does want to spend time with you two, but you also have to remember that he is charge of a lot of people. He has to keep everyone in line."

"Yeah." "Sure." Were their depressed answers.

Ezra and Sabine glanced at each other and a silent message passed between them. These kids were lucky that Hiccup was able to give them a childhood free from the Empire's influence. However, to keep them free, Hiccup has to dedicate his time to his people and the rebellion. But they were still kids and for now they still need attention.

"So, what do you guys do for fun around here," Sabine asked to keep the kids occupied.

Ana smiled gratefully at the younger teen. "There's not much to do, but there is a Dragon Race in a couple of months. But that's it."

Reneè popped up next to her sister and had a creepy smile on her face. "You're wrong Annie, that's not the only fun thing around here."

Ana looked at her sister with a raised eyebrow before they shot up in surprise. "You're right my dear sister."

Waric looked at the sisters after washing off the last of the paint. He rolled his eyes and sighed at what the sisters had planned. "Here we go again." Ana and Reneè smirked mischievously that made Ezra and Sabine have of sense of foreboding.

* * *

Kanan let out a growl of frustration as he sat on the ramp of the Ghost. He placed a hand on the bridge of his nose as he thought over his hardheaded friend. He remembered the older, short, scrawny brunette from his days at the temple. He remembered all the games they played together, supported each other when their peers teased them for either asking so many questions or having a preference for inventing over combat, he was always interested in what his friend invented and laughed each time it exploded in his face, they practiced with each other and refined their Force abilities. Heck he was even present at Hiccup's Initiate trials with the rest of the observing Knights and Masters, and congratulated him when he passed. Though he hardly saw his friend when a Master selected him and he shipped out to fight at the beginning of the Clone War.

He smirked when he recalled Hiccup teasing him for bumping his head during training the day before his Initiate trials. Kanan was lucky that Hiccup didn't have a mission for a while and was able to attend his trials. It was a few days afterwards that his friend and his Master had to return to battle. From then on, they only holocommed each other to stay in touch. However, after Order 66, he thought that the older teen had died.

He looked across the hanger bay to see his friend standing next to a ledge with his Varactyl lying down next to him. He then looked around to see Zeb helping Hera push some crates onto the Ghost. Chopper was over by the droid station socializing with the other astromechs surprisingly. Ahsoka had taken Jack aside, and, by the way things look, was having a serious discussion with him.

Hera caught his eye and raised an eyebrow at him. She slightly tilted her head in Hiccup's direction. 'Go talk to him.'

Kanan sighed as he nodded his head before getting up. 'Okay, okay.' Hera had a self-satisfied smirk as the Jedi walked across the hanger bay.

Toothless perked up as Kanan approached and let out a happy bark like sound. Hiccup didn't turn to acknowledge him and continued to stare out to the valley. Kanan petted Toothless briefly before standing next to his friend.

The two stood there for a moment looking out to the valley as Toothless let out soft huff like sounds. Kanan glanced briefly at Hiccup before crossing his arms. "Remember when you first brought Toothless to the temple after coming back from here. He trampled over so many Jedi and knocked over so many statues before somehow ending up in the Archives."

Hiccup smirked as he recalled the event. "Madame Jocasta was so furious not to mention the council. I was stuck with maintenance duty for three months." The two laughed lightly before the Belsavian frowned. "I thought you died that day."

Kanan looked up at his friend, knowing what he was thinking, before sighing. "I thought so too, it was agony when I felt all that death it was hard to figure out who was dead and who wasn't."

Hiccup scoffed as he looked up at his friend. Seriously, after all these years his younger friend was still taller than him. "Try being at the epicenter of it all."

Kanan snorted softly. "Sarcastic Fishbone," he muttered. "But we're still here and with a purpose again."

Hiccup frowned as he stared out at the valley again. "My purpose is to my people."

Kanan turned to the older man with an incredulous look. "Then shouldn't you be doing more for them? To make a true stand against the Empire."

Hiccup suddenly rounded on the younger man with a furious expression. "Now you're being a hypocrite. Don't deny it Caleb; I can sense your feelings. You don't enjoy being part of a larger rebellion, you rather have your cell remain a small group and help those in need. You'd actually prefer it if your entire team wasn't part of a military faction like you are now. So tell me how this is different?"

Kanan was silent for a moment since he knew the Belsavian was right. All his team did in the past was make hit and runs against the Empire and give to those in need. It was how he originally met Ezra in the first place and joined his crew. And in that first moment of meeting the kid, he and the others taught him how to help others in need.

"It may be not what I wanted, but the others are committed to the rebellion," Kanan answered. "It's what they want, and I promised them that I would support them with whatever they decide."

"And how is that going so far?"

Kanan pinned his friend with a glare. "You know that everything is not easy in the beginning and I don't expect it to anytime soon. You knew that we would be facing losses and continue to do so. But as long as we make a difference and we stand up to the Empire, then it's all worth it."

Hiccup sighed as he stared at his friend. It was in that moment that he realized how much the young boy once known as Caleb has changed. How the young boy eager to leave the temple to fight in the Clone War and was now wise due to the years afterward. He opened his mouth to answer but an insistent beeping caught his attention. The man groaned as he brought his wrist comm up.

"Yes?"

"Chief something set off the motion sensors by the Northern entrance." A male voice reported that caused a frown to appear on Hiccup's face. Kanan sighed, as he knew that this'd take a while. "The sensors say that three objects ran by them."

"Have all the Varactyls been accounted for?"

"Give me a moment to check." It was then that his comm clicked off.

It was also right at that moment that a large tan Varactyl with red and light blue feathers, but the interesting thing about it was that it was missing its front legs. The Varactyl used its lower wings to walk and keep its balance. The person standing on its back was a tall woman about Kanan's height with long auburn and grey hair parted into three braids and bright green eyes. She was dressed in reinforced leather armor with a large fur collar, round shoulder pads, large armbands with talons over her hands, and her waist wrapped in red and fabric. The woman had a worried look on her face as she jumped onto the ground.

"Mom, what's wrong," Hiccup asked as he noticed the furrowed brows on her face. Kanan was thrown threw a loop a second. _Mom?_

"I can't find Halvar or Turid anywhere," the woman said as she hopped down from the Varactyl. "They're not at home, the training arena, the lookout, the great hall, the farmhouse, or in the valley."

"How about the stables, they're probably just helping with the Varactyls," Hiccup said as he reached for his comm.

"I just came from there," the woman said with a shake of her head. "Lad, where could they have gone?"

Hiccup's comm beeped again and the man from before spoke. "Chief, three Varactyls are not in their stables. It's Latias, Kodlak, and Flamestreak."

A frown appeared on Hiccup's face as he tapped away on his wrist comm. That was when Hera, Zeb, Ahsoka, and Jack came over. "I have a pretty good idea where they are."

A blue hologram of Ana appeared but there was something off about the image. It wasn't the fact that she was on the back of her Varactyl, but with her were Ezra and a small girl with brown hair. Add to the fact that they were all wearing their winter gear, didn't bode well for the adults. Ana looked down at her wrist comm and a panicked look appeared on her face.

"Chief! Hhheeeyyy, is something wrong?" Ana put on a wide, forced smile on her face that was obviously fake.

"Ana, where are you?"

"We're by the hot springs, why do you ask." She looked up quickly and had to use the reins to direct her Varactyl around a large tree. The girl was laughing with glee while Ezra held onto Ana tighter.

Anyone who wasn't force-sensitive could tell how angry Hiccup was by the way he was clenching his fists and the scowl that appeared on his face. "Get back to the caves right now," he forced out through clenched teeth.

That was when Ana started messing with her wrist comm. "Sure Chief, just _~pzzt~_ losing connection _~pzzt~_ can you..." That was when the connection was interrupted and the comm turned off.

Hiccup closed his eyes for a moment to get his anger under control before letting out his frustration through the Force. "Jack, get to the monitoring center and find them. _NOW_." He then walked away from the group. Everyone looked at each other out of the corner before Jack walked over to his Varactyl and hopped onto its back.

"She is in so much trouble."

* * *

"I am in so much trouble," Ana muttered under her breath. At that moment, a laugh escaped from her as Latias avoided another tree. In front of her, Turid had her hands up the air as she whopped with glee. Behind her, Ezra was also whopping with excitement after he got over the initial shock.

Not far from her, Reneè was on the back of her own Varactyl with Sabine holding onto her. And by the look of things, the Mandalorian was having fun. Also, a bit away from Reneè, Waric was riding on his Varactyl, Flamestreak, with Halvar seated in front of him. Everyone was yelling and cheering as the Varactyls raced each other through the one of the few forests on the planet.

However, the two offworlders let out gasps as they neared what appeared to be a cliff. The Belsavians grinned excitedly and urged the Varactyls to go faster. Ezra and Sabine yelped as each of the Dragonmounts leaped into the air and started to skid down a steep slope. Those yelps turned into cheers as the wind blew against their faces.

Each of the Varactyls let out loud cries as they leaned forward to increase their speed. Kodlak was the faster of the three and easily got ahead of the others. This caused Reneè and Sabine to cheer triumphantly. That was until Latias cut ahead.

Turid laughed mockingly at the two before gripping onto the saddle tightly. Kodlak tried maneuvering around Latias but the older Varactyl didn't allow him. Suddenly, Flamestreak put on a burst of speed and sped ahead of the two, causing the others to go into a spin.

Latias and Kodlak were able to regain control but Flamestreak was in the lead. The Varactyl looked behind him and seemed to smirk at them. Halvar was laughing excitedly while Waric smiled innocently at them. The others shared a look and smirked.

Waric noticed this and patted Flamestreak's side. When the other Varactyls tried to overtake them, Flamestreak suddenly flared out his wings. "Hey," everyone shouted in shock as their line of sight was blocked. Latias and Kodlak tried to maneuver around the wings but Flamestreak didn't allow them.

Suddenly, Flamestreak dropped his wings and everyone got a good look of the trees heading their way. They all screamed and got their faces full of snow.

"So that's how it's going to be, huh?" Ana shouted at her friend with a half smile, half scowl.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Waric stated calmly.

Ana scowled and snapped the reins. Latias sped forward and smacked her tail in a pile of snow. Flamestreak cried out as snow got in his face and lost control. The Varactyl spun around with Waric and Halvar gripping the reins tightly. They were able to regain control after Kodlak sped past them.

"Hey!" Waric and Halvar shouted at them.

"It was all her idea, but I approve," Ana said laughing. Ezra laughed along with her and Turid stuck her tongue out at her brother.

Just as Waric was about to snap his reins; a loud noise caught his attention. The oldest teen turned around and his eyes widened in shock. Ana and Ezra even sensed something was wrong, turned, and gasped. It seems that their activities have caused an avalanche.

"Reneè, Sabine!" Ana shouted at the two and pointed behind them. The girls turned to see the Avalanche bearing down on them. The teens gasped before Reneè gripped the reins tightly.

On the next ramp, all the Varactyls went airborne and were safely in the air. All the teens watched as the Avalanche continued rolling down the mountainside and thanked their lucky stars that there weren't any villages on the mountain or at its base.

Everyone breathed out sighs of relief before Reneè started to giggle. Everyone looked over at the youngest teen as her chuckling turned into laughter. Apparently, her giggles were contagious and it wasn't long until Ana's shoulders were bouncing up and down as giggles escaped her lips. As she let out a snort, Waric thought she looked adorable and snorted as well. Soon the twins, Ezra, and Sabine joined in the laughter and were doing all they can to not fall off the Varactyls. Large smiles were seen on everyone's faces and some were silently surprised at how spectacular it felt.

The Varactyls let out loud calls as they climbed higher into the air. All of the teen's laughter began to subside as they enjoyed the wind beating against their faces. The Varactyls continued to climb higher until it appeared they were swimming in the clouds. Sabine leaned over to run her hand through the cloud and smiled at the moisture that ran down her hand. Latias, Kodlak, and Flamestreak slowly spun in the air before diving through the clouds to reveal the twin setting suns. The Offworlders looked down onto the surface and smiled at the view.

Ezra smirked and patted Ana's shoulder. "I admit, this is really cool. This is a lot different than riding in a starship."

Kodlak flew up next to Latias and let out a loud hoot like cry. Reneè was grinning from ear to ear as she spread her arms out. Sabine laughed as she held onto Reneè tighter. "This is what it is to really fly!" Ana smirked at her sister and rolled her eyes fondly.

That was when all of the Varactyls went rigid, their feather crowns perking up, and began to growl. The Belsavians looked at their Varactyls in worry as their eyes narrowed and subtlety moved them from side to side.

"Guys, V formation." Ana ordered her sister and friend. The two nodded and pulled back the reins on their Varactyls. Kodlak and Flamestreak pulled back and flew slightly behind Latias. No sound was heard except for the occasional huff from the Varactyl. All the teens were tense as they waited for something to happen.

Then Ana and Ezra heard a whistling sound in their heads as the Force flared in warning. "Everyone hard left NOW!" All the teens tightened their grip on the Varactyls as they turned sharply. In the spot that they were, an electric net enclosed over empty air.

Three large Belsavian hunter ships appeared from the cloud cover and descended onto the three Varactyls. Ana gasped as two prongs extended from each of the ships and became electrified. The Force began to blare loudly in Ana and Ezra's heads. "Evasive maneuvers, now!" Latias, Kodlak, and Flamestreak let out roars as they performed spins and hard banks to avoid the stun blasts. Each of the ships locked onto a Varactyl and continued to shot stun blasts at them.

Ana growled as the ships followed each of them. "We have to lose them. Waric guide Flamestreak through Gallows Gorge. Once you lose them get back to Dragon's Edge." Waric nodded as Flamestreak flew towards a deep gorge with one of the hunter ships following them. Halvar took a moment to glance at his sister worriedly before they disappeared. "Reneè guide Kodlak through Odin's pass then get home." Reneè nodded her head worriedly as Sabine gave them a thumb up before Kodlak dived towards an icy canyon.

"Okay, now, what do we do," Ezra shouted at her. Ana smirked deviously as she tightened their harnesses. She handed Turid the reins before leaning over the younger girl and grabbed the handles on the saddle. "Hang on tight. Now UP!" Latias roared as she flew up vertically into the sky and forcing the ship to follow.

Ezra looked over his shoulder to see that the ship was struggling to follow. Ana also looked back and gasped when the ship's boosters kicked into overdrive and began to catch up. Latias folded her wings and spun quickly in the air. "DROP!" Ana felt Ezra tighten his grip on her as Latias free fell with her back towards the ground.

They fell right past the ship and continued to fall until they reached a dense cloud formation. Latias spun until she was flying right side up and used the cloud cover. The ship tried to follow them but lost them briefly. They listened as the ship backed off and sighed in relief.

Another ship appeared out of nowhere and hovered in front of them. Latias cried out as she quickly pulled herself to a stop. The ship used that moment to shot its stun blasts at her. Latias cried out again as the blasts hit her and began to fall.

Ana, Ezra, and Turid yelled as they began to fall uncontrollably to the ground. A large electric net was shot out and wrapped over the downed Varactyl. The teens cried out in pain as the electric current hit them. The last thing any of them saw before everything turned dark was being reeled towards the ship.

* * *

 **And that's it for now, so leave reviews and tell me what you think. See ya next time.**

 **Maximus Potter**


	5. The Dragon Hunters

**Hello fellow fanfiction people.**

 **First, I would like to thank everyone who has faved, followed, and reviewed this story. Secondly, I would also like to apologize that it took me so long to update this story. My grandmother passed away around Christmas time and I went on hiatus to mourn with my family. I have also been concentrating mainly on my college work for the past few months and it has been paying off since I've been passing the classes pertaining to my major. Third, the next chapter to Once a Hero, Always a Hero is almost done but I'm not sure when I'll post, so bear with me. So now that I've given everyone the update on what's been going on in my life, lets go on with the story.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters except for my OCs.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

Hera could only use one word to describe the monitoring station of Dragon's Edge. Impressive. It was obvious to the Twi'lek that a majority of tech in the room was stolen from the Empire but the setup was obviously from the Clone Wars. The walls in the station were filled with monitors with personal attending to them and in the center was a large circular holotable. Projected from the holotable were the schematics for the entire base and the mountain range it was hidden in.

Hiccup stood at the table with a heavy scowl on his face as he stared at the holoprojection. Astrid was at his right side and had placed a hand over his own. While his mother, who was called Valka, was at his left side with a supporting hand on his shoulder. Off to the side, Jack stood by the holoprojector with his arms crossed over his chest and a worried look on his face.

Hera glanced over to the side where Kanan stood, whom too had his arms crossed over his chest. From the furrowed brow on his face, she could tell that something was bothering him.

"What's wrong love?"

Kanan just shook his head as his lips thinned. "It's nothing Hera." The Jedi made the mistake of looking out of the corner of his eye to see a familiar raised eyebrow.

"You're not just worried about Ezra, are you?"

Kanan was silent for a moment before letting out a sigh. "I know Hiccup well enough to know that he won't join a larger rebellion. He never agreed that the Jedi should have been involved in the Clone Wars. He argued time and time again that we were peacekeepers not soldiers. He acknowledged the fact that sometimes peacekeepers were needed in times of war. But he would never willingly march into a war, unless there was another choice."

Hera shook head making her lekkus shake from side to side. "Does he know that war may be inevitable?"

Kanan had to think a moment before he nodded his head. "Maybe. But he will do what he can to keep his people safe. And if I know Belsavian culture as well as I do, is that they protect their own."

Hera just pursed her lips in thought and placed her hands on her hips. Ahsoka had warned them that convincing the leadership of this cell would be difficult. However, the Togruta woman was focusing more on Jack instead of Hiccup at the present time. She probably suspected that the Ghost crew can get through to him.

An insistent beeping pulled Hera from her thoughts, and she looked to see two blimps appear on the hologram. The two blimps were moving closer to the base at a quick rate.

Hiccup was quickly typing away on the console and a couple of screens appeared next to the blimps. Jack looked over the younger man's shoulder and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "It's Flamestreak and Kodlak, they're about to enter the caves. But, Latias is not appearing on the screen." The white-haired man looked at the Offworlders and motioned his head to follow him. "We better meet up with them."

Hiccup was already making his out of the communication center, with the rest of his team and the Ghost crew following. The Comm center was located on the highest cliff in the caldera so that any information can be transmitted or received easier. The Varactyls were waiting outside of the general area and we're letting out soft growls as their riders approached.

The Belsavians hopped onto the saddles of their respective Dragonmounts while the offworlders all piled onto the hover lift they all took off. The main building to the stables appeared to resemble a large hanger bay with three landing strips on each side with an entrance and a large main entrance. After landing, all of the adults rushed into the stable area. There were many members of the battalion and Varactyls of a variety of colors in the stables, but the group ignored them.

They approached one of the pens where a couple of Varactyls, a trio of teenagers, and a young boy that looked like a younger version of Hiccup with blonde hair. The two Varactyls were busy drinking water from a water trough while the four humans and humanoid were taking off their heavy coats. Sabine was the first to spot the group of adults and tapped Waric's shoulder to get his attention. Waric turned and a slightly scared look appeared on his face. The young boy raced past the teens towards the adults.

"Mom, Dad, Grandma," the boy exclaimed as Astrid kneeled down and tightly embraced her son. Hera saw the tension leave Valka's shoulders before she kneeled down and ran a hand through the boy's blonde hair. The only ones whom still seemed tense were Hiccup and Jack. Hiccup's eyes were darting rapidly over the group and those eyes were slowly widening in panic.

"Halvar," Hiccup said getting the boy's attention. "Where's Turid?"

Halvar raised his head from his mother's shoulder to look at his father. "I don't know, she was with Ana and that new kid... Ezra."

Hera felt Kanan stiffen next to her and she didn't need to be a Jedi to know that he was worried. Hera herself was just as worried for the youngest member of her crew. Trouble just seemed to find the youngest member no matter what he does.

Hiccup placed a calming hand on Halvar's head before turning a fierce gaze onto Waric. "What happened?"

Waric gulped slightly before answering. "We were out by Raven Rock forest just having some fun when we were attacked by hunter ships. Ana ordered us to split up and lose them before coming back here."

Hiccup went rigid before sharing a glance with Jack and Kanan. One thought was going through all their minds. Where are their kids?

* * *

Ana groaned from the pounding headache she had as she woke up. She didn't dare open her eyes yet but took that time to assess her surroundings. The ground she was lying on was so cold that she could feel the chill through her coat. Her hands were cuffed behind her back causing an ache to form in her shoulders. In the background, she could make out the soft rustle of fabric and in the distance, the thrum of ship engines and the distressed calls of Varactyls.

Ana let out another groan before she forced herself to sit up and open her eyes. Well, at least her initial thoughts of being trapped in cage were confirmed as she stared at the metal bars. And based on the size, the cage was meant for a Varactyl though very uncomfortable for the animal. She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard a slight whimper from the other end of the cage. She could see a crumpled form on the cage floor and barely make out a head of blue-black hair. And leaning against the figure was a shivering form with familiar messy auburn hair.

Ana could hardly count the amount of times she quickly got onto her feet in her life so far. It has been many times. She rushed across the cage before dropping to her knees next to the frightened girl.

The teen looked over Ezra quickly before sighing in relief that the blue haired boy was only unconscious. She turned her attention onto the shivering brunette and knew that the girl's chill was not from the cold. Ana closed her eyes and sent out calming waves to the preteen through the force. Soon, Turid's shivering died down and the young girl turned around towards Ana.

"Annie," Turid said in relief as she leaned up against the older girl. Ana had a small smile on her face before it fell off as she remembered their predicament.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" The young girl shook her head. "Have you been awake long?"

"No, just for a few minutes." She was shaking again as she buried her head in Ana's chest. "You and Ezra weren't moving and I thought you two were dead." Turid let out soft whimpers as she curled up in Ana's lap.

"Hey, we're okay," said Ana assuredly though she really hated how her arms were cuffed behind her back at the moment, preventing her from hugging the younger girl. "You're father is probably looking for us as we speak, he'll find us." _And put me on suspension._ She said mentally.

A groan caught the girl's attention, and they turned to see Ezra waking up and begin to sit up. "Ow," the teen moaned as he moved to rub his head only to realize that his hands were cuffed behind his back. He sighed and looked over to Ana and didn't question why Turid was on the older girl's lap. "How long were we out," he asked.

Ana shrugged her shoulders as best she could. "I have no idea, but I do have an idea where we are."

Ezra raised an eyebrow and was about to ask her suspicions when the three heard heavy footsteps coming towards their cage. The fabric was pulled back to reveal a male Dowutin, male Human, and male Gotal standing on the other side of the cage. Ana only had to quickly glance over the men to confirm her suspicions that these were dragon hunters.

The human opened the cage and they quickly entered the cage. "The boss wants to have a word with you three." The Dowutin grabbed the collars of Ezra and Ana's jackets and easily lifted them up as if they were kittens. The gotal grabbed Turid's upper arm and yanked the young girl to her feet. The men proceeded to march the kids through the camp; where they saw various cages filled with Varactyls, hunters walking around the base, and hunter ships either landing or taking off. Ana looked around and took note that they were in one of the smaller craters that dotted the planet and could make out a mountain range in the distance. Since she was hanging from the back of her collar, it wasn't hard to tap the tracking device on her boot with her heel and make it appear that her legs were swinging.

The hunters marched the kids up a winding cliff until they stopped in front of a large temporary building surrounded by hut like structures. The main building appeared to be a dining hall but to the older teens it looked more like a cantina. There some hunters seated in the hall and some looked over their shoulders as the three men dragged them through the hall. They stopped in front of a closed door, which the human man proceeded to knock on.

There was a moment of silence before a male accented voice rang out. "Enter."

The doors slid open and the three men dragged the kids into the room, which turned out to be an office. It was decorated with the skins of various Varactyls with a few skulls displayed as trophies. It made Ana sick to her stomach just seeing what has become of Belsavis' amazing creatures. Based on her friend's expression, she's not the only one thinking this.

Seated behind the desk was a human man with short dark brown hair, intelligent brown eyes, and a neatly trimmed goatee around his mouth. He wore a black tunic with red scales on his shoulders, spiked shoulder pads, a silver belt, black wrist guards, and strapped to his hip was a holstered blaster. Even though his head was bowed, Ana could make out three jagged scars on his neck.

He ran his eyes over the teens before waving his hands towards the chairs in front of his desk. "Please sit." The Dowutin and Gotal roughly placed the kids onto the chairs before backing off. Ana sent a few inappropriate words at the large alien who only sneered at the auburn haired teen.

The brown haired man raised an eyebrow at the auburn haired girl's language. "My dear, a young lady such as yourself shouldn't use such language in the presence of your hosts."

Ana glared and sneered at the man. "I'm sorry but after being stuffed in a cage and then dragged around like a tooka kit really irks me. So I think the use of my language is appropriate given the circumstances."

The man had to nod his head in agreement with the auburn haired girl's argument. "Maybe so, but I believed you would have had more restraint considering the company you're in."

The two teens glanced down at Turid, who shrugged her shoulders as best as she could. "Not the worst I've ever heard." This caused the oldest auburn haired girl to raise an eyebrow at the younger girl, wondering what she had heard.

A heavy fist slammed down on the desk causing the three kids to look up at another man they didn't realize was there. The large bulky bald human man was dressed in a short-sleeve scale patterned tunic, a spiked pauldron on his right shoulder, thickly spiked vambraces, and fur-rimmed boots. The man was glaring at the three kids with such intensity that if they were anyone else, they would have cowered in fright.

The man practically bared his teeth at the children like a rabid animal. "Enough stalling. Where are the rest you dragon riding scum?"

The seated man raised a hand to silence the bald man. "Enough brother." The bald man glared at the seated man for a moment before backing away from the three children. "You must excuse Ryker, he doesn't understand the concept of treating guests well." The bald man, Ryker, simply let out a soft growl as he crossed his arms over his chest. "He does however bring up a valid point, where is Cody and the rest of his dragon riding rebels?"

Ana tilted her head to the side in mock confusion. "Who's Cody?" The older teen reached out through the Force and felt Ezra and Turid's confusion. "And besides there aren't any laws forbidding riding Varactyls." She gasped as another thought came to mind. "Also, what have you done with Latias?"

The seated man allowed a malevolent smirk to appear on his face. "The one with the brown and white print? I have to say that the patterns on that Varactyl are quite unique. So unique in fact that one of my lieutenants swears that he's seen that particular beast before."

He snapped his fingers and one of the hunters handed the seated man a familiar circular shield. It was made from a shiny metal and had a familiar red print on the surface. The print was of a creature that has long been extinct. It was the picture of a dragon with a triangular head, large wings, and the tail curling towards the center. The interesting thing about the print was that it was missing a fin on the tail. The hunter must have caught the expression on Ana's face because a malicious smirk appeared on his face.

"I see you recognize the design on this weapon. It was found attached to the saddle of your Varactyl when you were shot down. The curious thing is that Cody's dragon riders all bear this symbol." He leaned forward in this chair as his face contorted into a scowl. "Now, do you wish to rethink your answer Gamma 1?"

Ana visibly flinched as her code name was spoken. It let her understand that the man seated in front of her knew exactly who she was. She glanced over at Ezra and saw that he was worried as well.

The man stood from his seat to reveal that he was a bit taller than Kanan. He moved around the desk until he was standing next to it. "While it would have been invigorating to know the location of your rebel base, I have no doubt dear Cody will come for you three. Especially for one of his prized warriors."

Ana scowled at the man and moved to get up when Ryker drew out his sword and placed it at her neck. The lead hunter smirked at the teenage girl before he glanced over at Ezra. His eyebrows scrunched together in confusion as he studied the blue-haired boy.

Ezra shifted under the intense gaze of the hunter and flinched when the man reached out to grasp his chin. His head was tilted to the right so that the scars on his left cheek were seen. The hunter's eyes narrowed as he studied the scars.

"Sir," one of the hunters spoke. "Isn't that the kid the Imperials are after over in the Lothal sector?"

The headhunter was silent for a moment before a smirk appeared on his face. "Indeed." He released Ezra's face as he took a step back. "This changes things gentlemen, there is no doubt that the crew of the Ghost is on Belsavis and in league with the rebels of Dragon Battalion." He turned to one of the hunters with a stern glare. "Inform the radar station to be on the lookout for a Corellian VCX-100 freighter or a Nova Drive 3-Z freighter. These cells have been known for coming for their own." The hunter nodded and rushed out. The headhunter then turned to the Gotal. "Send a report to the Empire and inform them of our guest. I'm sure there are a few Imperials who would be interested in our catch." The Gotal let out a strange chattering noise as he nodded his head and left the room.

The lead hunter nodded his head at Ryker before leaving the room. As soon as the doors shut Ryker allowed a fierce scowl to appear on his face and growled under his breath. He turned that scowl on the three kids and pointed at them. "Lock them up with the rest of the beasts. And put the stun cuffs on the Jedi, we don't want him pulling any tricks."

The Dowutin grumbled under his breath as he lifted Ana and Ezra like before. Another hunter grabbed Turid's upper arm and pulled the young girl out of the chair. As the group was leaving the great hall, they didn't notice a pair of green eyes watching them.

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 **Please follow, fave, and leave a review and tell me what you like and don't like about the story. Also leave suggestions about how I can improve the story.**

 **See you next time.**


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